


Alma Mater

by if_i_mae



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Coming of Age, Earth C, Earth C (Homestuck), F/F, Post-Sburb, nudity mention, troll children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 19:26:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15780534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/if_i_mae/pseuds/if_i_mae
Summary: Rose and Kanaya get ready for graduation day, an overly sappy affair.





	Alma Mater

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to rannadylin on tumblr for their wonderful list of Latin related prompts. 
> 
> As the prompter says, Alma Mater's literal translation is 'fostering mother'.  
> This is also what you call your school after graduation.

These years have flown by for you, you really don’t know how you’ve managed. Sure you had imagined the beginnings of reconstructing society. You had even wondered how much these new beings would resemble yourself and your attributes. What if too much of yourself rubbed off onto them?

Today the first clutch of trolls will be celebrating their first adult wriggling day.

Most of your insecurities surrounding this process of troll-raising had vanished years ago. Upon seeing the budding personalities of the young, you know they will be fine. With or without your influence now. You couldn’t be prouder.

There is a small community outside of the breeding cavern that you, Kanaya, and the young trolls live in. Often you and Kanaya go into the breeding cavern to check on the conditions of the grubs. Soon, Kanaya should be returning from the trip.

You are already dressed and ready to present the small speech you had worked on. Just to make this official. Just for them.

You have had the speech, consisting of only an approximate of 300 words, memorized for well over a week now. You’re still sitting at your desk with the notecards when you hear footsteps tapping up the staircase.

A light tap at the open door, and she calls for you, “Everything looks fine in the cavern. I can’t wait for you to see the…graduates. Rose, they look so nice.”

“As nice as you do, my dear?” You ask as you rotate in your chair to see her. Kanaya is covered in several colors of slime and the bags under her eyes tell the story of anxiety. Letting the newly-made ‘adult’ trolls out into the world, it taxes her mind. Besides all that, and the grim and sweat, Kanaya shines like the most precisely cut gem. She can never get over your compliments.

“Ha ha, yes, I know I – _shine_ ,” Kanaya then ups the brightness of her skin, making you squint, “but today is not about me,” She lowers her light back down to nonexistent, “It is about them. Oh… but how they have grown!” Not too slowly, she starts stripping the slime-covered clothes off. Presumably so that she can take a proper shower. If you were not dressed, you would have made sure it wasn’t so proper.

Kanaya’s voice grows exaggerated as she strips more on her trip to the bathroom. You know this is the same line of thought Kanaya has been having for months now. Maybe they should hold them for one more year. Maybe even a sweep. What if they aren’t ready? Things can get rough in the neighborhood. How will they fair without you two?

These are all concerns they have addressed before, and went over. At the end, Kanaya only asked to be allowed to complain about it to the bitter end. These trolls might as well be, in her words, her human children. And though you chuckle at the thought of your nest being empty any time soon, you can understand Kanaya’s concern. They are the same as your own.

Being a seerer is an unkind thing.

Quietly, while Kanaya continues to rant in the shower, you get up to clean the mess she left on the floor. Once removed, you head over to the wardrobe to grab a set of formal robes she had made for herself, just for this occasion. Just as she had made your outfit.  

Outside a breeze has picked up, and it ruffles your hair lightly at its entry. Soon the sound of an organ can be heard everywhere. John is waiting for you, you better hurry. You pass an eye to the window and your breath catches. Down below, all of the trolls from the first clutch are waiting in a cluster around the mouth of the cavern.  

“John’s here,” Kanaya says, making you turn to her. Water drips everywhere as she holds a towel loosely around herself. Her face is pinched. Quickly, you set her robes on the bed and reach out to her.

Kanaya’s face relaxes as you hold it gently between your hands. Long past, Kanaya had gone through her adult molt, making her darker than ever. She looks gorgeous. If you could tell her that every moment, and get away with it, you most likely would.

Instead, you squeeze her face lightly and kiss her cheek. Kanaya steps back so that she can dry herself off and she slips into her outfit as fast as she can. Before Kanaya can leave the bedroom, you adjust some of the cords hanging about her shoulders. Then tousle her hair, feeling some of the water still there. No time to dry it fully.

You lead down the stairs into the open area of the bottom of your house. When you reach the door, you hold it open for her.

Children are coming out of the respiteblocks, forming a crowd that flows past. When your door opens, most look over to greet you on their way. Various versions of ‘mother’ often leave their mouth. You aren’t exactly sure who made that uneasy impression onto them, but you’ve grown since the first time that startled you. Experience has turned motherhood into a privilege, rather than burden you like you had known it to be for your mother.

Kanaya grabs ahold of your arm, squeezing as gently as her anxious mind can let her. You reach up to squeeze her hands with one of your own. “Would you have imagined this to be where we would end up?”

“Only in my wildest dreams,” Kanaya confesses, her eyes wide as she stares around her. She gets like this every once and awhile when it comes to the grubs and the troll children. You can’t say that you blame her.

On your way to the cavern mouth, you see John and his organ off to the side. It’s heartwarming in its own right to see at least one of the original four sticking to their music. You haven’t picked up, or even alchemized, a violin in many sweeps.

But John isn’t the only sburb player to be making an appearance. In fact, several of the old heroes are mixing in with the young trolls. Many of them have been and continue to help educate them on a regular basis. You couldn’t be more grateful for their help.

The crowds part for you and Kanaya as you approach the graduating clutch. When they notice your approach, one by one the graduates smile your way. Your heart has never been warmer than at this moment.

One of the new adults, an energetic yellowblood, crackles in excitement as you near. When you and Kanaya are among the graduates, many move in to hug you. Others stay on the fringe, looking in with blushing, happy faces. The actual speech and party hasn’t even started yet, and you can see Kanaya trying desperately not to cry. You keep your own emotions tight, only smiling partly. This needs to be serious. You do not want to cry during your first graduation speech.

Steadily, you and Kanaya push through the graduates to climb up the carved in steps to the cave’s entrance. Once at the top step, you both turn around. She lets go of your arm to stand straight-backed, hands folded calmly behind her. You dare to look her way and she gives you a hesitant smile. The only one you’ll ever need.

Calmly, you look over to John, who is waiting for your queue. You nod slowly, and he finishes his piece with a couple of drifting bars. Then John grabs the microphone they had left nearby and brings it over to you.

“No nerves?” He asks teasingly as he hands you the microphone.

“None at all,” You deadpan. John gives you a grin and hovers back over to his organ to have a seat.

With a deep breath, you turn on the mic.

Nothing could have prepared you to bring a new age of beings into existence. And similarly, nothing could have prepared you to have to let them go.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading this little ficlet.  
> I wrote this rather quick and only to stretch out of my comfort zone some. Sorry if it isn't very interesting as a result. 
> 
> If you have any constructive criticism or what have you, don't be afraid to leave a comment


End file.
